A Dragon's Fate
by busykillingdragons
Summary: There are a lot of interesting characters in Skyrim, for sure- a few thieves, a couple assassins, and a whole lot of braggarts. Heroes? There are considerably less so.
1. beginning

Feyin had never particularly enjoyed the cold, and that day was no different- even in the southern reaches of Skyrim, there was a sense of chill that he couldn't escape. It was this, along with a few other factors, that brought about his foul mood on the otherwise fine Middas morning. The few passerbys on the road north seemed to notice his frustration, and completely avoided him as the rather slim bosmer made his way through the small dips and hills of Falkreath hold. It was a rugged terrain, and though he had left the small capital early morning, it was close to midday when he finally passed the large lake that rest north of it.

The walking had done his temper some good, and despite the weather, he managed to push his negative thoughts about the rather rude innkeeper and her rowdy customers. Taking a deep breath, he loosed out his anger in a small puff. He never had been one to remain upset long, at any rate. Soon enough his pace was more vigorous, and the stones that rested on the path no longer bothered him. There was no reason to let them, after all- the hunter had made out with a fine catch while he visited the small town, and it landed him with a fine coin purse that would allow him to repair his bow and buy some more arrows. It occurred to him that getting better armor would also be a good idea, soon enough- what with the impending war, and the rumors of dragons- but it would have to wait until he saved a bit more.

Feyin was far from rich, and it was his lack of money that caused him to be on the road at that particular time, which- as all seemingly innocent things do- lead to a far more impactful fate, little did he know.

His thoughts distracted him for a few more moments before he turned his attention back to the road, squinting to see if he could yet see Whiterun's walls- which, considering the fact that he hadn't even quite arrived at Riverwood yet, wasn't much more than a futile attempt. He snorted, disappointed but unsurprised. Not nearly enough time had passed to get him there- he would be lucky if he made it by sundown. Glancing at the sky, he mentally wondered at how long he had taken to get to the White River- Helgen had passed perhaps an hour ago, and he could only just see Riverwood in the distance. Naturally, with his luck, it would start pouring in the stretch between there and his destination. He had about as much luck as a fish caught in a net, to be perfectly honest, and there was little doubt that it wouldn't change too much in the future.

The thought lead to a deep sigh, bringing his mood down again, although in a less dramatic manner than previously- Feyin had never had a defined temperment, and his mood swings were a sight to behold. Trudging through the dusk and past the small, slow town of Riverwood, he picked off a lone wolf before approaching the hill that overlooked the city. From there, it took him just under a couple hours to meander to the stables, at which point the sky held little light left in it. Hopefully the inn would still have a couple rooms in it- and equally hopefully, there were no troublemakers about to annoy him.

Continuing his slow trot up the path to Whiterun's gates, he nodded to the guards standing at either side of them and pushed through. He doubted they recognized him, even with his often visits to the city- his face wasn't a particularly memorable one. Few in the city actually remembered him, no matter how often he hung around- not even the other hunters, whom he typically bought his supplies from. With that thought in mind, Feyin questioned whether or not he should buy what he needed then; of course, with the time, most everyone there would likely be asleep or uncooperative. No, it was better to continue to the Bannered Mare, and that was what he did. His speed increased slightly at the prospect of a warm fire and maybe some mead, and the hunter reached the marketplace quickly.

It was just as he was about to enter the inn that the commotion broke out. Starting with a low hiss, a pale faced creature that didn't seem quite human began an attack on him and the other stragglers in the marketplace- most equipped weapons and fought back, but not Feyin. Perhaps he normally would of, but he was distracted by an, what in his mind was, elegant dual-wielder taking on the head of the group. She quickly dispatched of it, and with a somewhat bored expression on her darkly toned face, moved on to the next.

Perhaps, if he had been paying attention, one of the thralls that had accompanied the small group wouldn't have crept up on him and stabbed him through the gut. Mentally piping on about what horrible luck he had, Feyin's vision soon faded to a peaceful black.

* * *

Damn if these vampire attacks weren't getting annoying. I stayed in town for a day, and what am I gifted? A fight, naturally- although, with most of the jobs I would normally take going to the Companions, the excitement was welcome. Even at that time of night, I was up and ready as soon as the noises reached my ears. For that matter, I was always up at that time of night. Sleeping hadn't exactly been a habit, as of late.

Unsurprisingly, by the time I reached the scene, a couple of their thralls were dead. Most of the vampires themselves were occupied, but the master- well, he turned towards me, probably assuming me an easy target. To no ones surprise but his own, he died in a matter of moments. I stopped to take a quick peek through his pockets- nothing of interest- before moving on to the next brute. Out of the corner of my eye, I realized that one bystander who had yet to do anything of use was about to be stabbed in the back, but by the time I had finished off the fledgling, he was far gone. I took another moment to dispose of the last threat before viewing him with what I will admit was disdain. Fool should have fought instead of staring- he had a bow on his back, so it wasn't as if he was unarmed.

Shaking my head, I knelt over to snatch up his coin purse. It was disappointingly light, but I pocketed it anyways- every coin counts. Straightening, I glanced around to realize that most of the townsfolk had returned to their homes, or the inn- I couldn't say that I blamed them. One of the guards gave my actions a glance before turning away. I suppose one could say that we had a silent agreement- I had helped the jarl, after all. I would leave Dragonsreach, the two feuding families, and the stables well alone, and they wouldn't confront me unless absolutely necessary. Most of them, I think, thought I was in the thieves guild. I wasn't of course- having been to their hideout, however, I can definitely confirm that they were a bit under the weather, and joining them would be a waste of my talents.

Of course, with the lack of action since my initial arrival in Skyrim, I was beginning to wonder whether it would be a decent idea, if only to pass the time.

It had been about a year, and although there was initially some work for me, most of the jobs that a sell-sword type like me were usurped by my main hold's faction, the Companions. I would have joined them for the coin, if it were not for their dislike for women of my… disposition.

"Hey, Raven!" The sound of my alias woke me from my thought state. "I think the jarl is looking for you. I would head up to Dragonsreach."

The voice belonged to one of the acquaintances I had made during my travels- a young nord by the name of Veylod Rigg. He was overexcitable, and I assumed that whatever business Jarl Bulgruuf had for me could wait until morning.

"Its rather late, Rigg. I'll get some sleep first." Turning back towards the tavern, I made to make my leave.

"No, no- its important." He sighed, likely thinking back to the amount of false alarms he had given me- it was no small number. "Honest, this time. Really, you should go- I'll come with you."

"Ah. Well, that's alright. If its so important, I can travel on my own. " I think the hastiness in my voice was more obvious than I meant it to be, as a distinct look of disappointment fell across his face as he nodded. Waving a quick goodbye, he began walking slowly towards the lower section of the district, probably thinking that my overwhelming guilt would cause me to call him back to join me. Unfortunately for him, this guilt was nonexistent, and I had no more qualms about leaving him behind than I did picking an enchanted ring from the pockets of a rich traveler on the roads.

With the last bit of no remorse leaving my mind, I began a steady jog up the steps to the middle district, and then to that which housed Dragonsreach, Whiterun's keep. Rumor was that it was named due to the capture of an ancient dragon within its walls- I really didn't care. Dragons were the least of my concern. I received a quick nod at the door, which I promptly ignored as I entered the hall. The dunmer housecarl Irileth was pacing impatiently in front of the thrones, at least until she noticed my presence.

"Finally. Come on, the jarl has been waiting for you to join us." Her voice was weary, and the tone surprised me- whatever this was, it most certainly had been important. A small part of me wished I had ran faster, although as I stepped up more stone steps into the back of the main room, I got the feeling that I would need all the energy I had.

"Excellent. You're here." The jarl's voice held little tolerance, as it always lacked, and his prompt greeting to me was cut short when he turned to an exhausted looking guard. "Report."

"Right. I ran here as fast as I could-"

"Tell him what you told me! About the dragon." Irileth's interruption obviously irritated the guard, but he did as she commanded and relayed the information to those of us who were poorly misinformed.

"Er, that's right. It was circling the watchtower when I left. Don't think I ever ran that fast in my life."

"Alright, soldier. Go to the barracks to have some food and rest- you've earned it." It hadn't been as much information as I would have liked, but the jarl seemed satisfied with it. The guard turned to leave, leaving me with the official and his bodyguard. "Irileth, take some men down to the tower."

"I've already had my men muster at the gate, sir."

"Excellent." Now he turned to me- little old me, with my arms crossed and my usual frown tugging down on my lips. "Go with Irileth. Find out more about this dragon- kill it, if its still there."

"Yes, sir." The orders were short and sweet, and without the detail I assumed I would be permitted to gear up first. I had tactfully left my bow and arrows at the inn- if this really was a dragon, I assumed I would need them.

* * *

**Hello. Yes. Welcome to my first Elder Scrolls fanfic. I hope you don't hate it as much as I think you will.**

**Just as a future warning, I have a habit of changing from first person to third person a lot- I'll make sure it doesn't get too confusing. **


	2. dragon

Veylod let out a deep sigh as he watched the somewhat short redguard jog up to the Cloud District. He was vaguely annoyed by her aloof attitude- although, considering, it wasn't that different than usual. Glancing around the dark, empty market circle, the nord turned from the gate and began to move back down the long cobble road. His home lay outside the city, unfortunately, and his already tired feet caused his pace to slow.

Reaching the gate, Veylod paused. A small group of guards had gathered outside the barracks, talking in hushed tones. Eyebrows furrowed, he approached them with hands in his pockets.

"Whats going on?"

"Didn't you hear?" While louder, the guard's tone was still frantic. "There's a dragon, by the western watchtower."

Well, that would explain why the jarl had summoned Raven. Grumpy as she was, she had fair fighting skills. At least from what he had heard, that is. "It's the middle of the night, did you really expect me to know?"

"Its an expression." The guard rolled his eyes, causing another to elbow him. As he finished speaking, footsteps approached from behind them- the uniformed straightened into a ready position and Veylod turned around. Irileth, the housecarl, and Raven were standing there. The second glared at him, then turned as the dark elf began spoke.

"Alright, men, you all know what this is about." They nodded, somewhat nervously. "This isn't going to be a walk in the park, but think about it. This is the first chance anyone in Skyrim will have had a chance to take down a dragon," As she spoke, her voice rose in battle fueled excitement. "Think of the honor this battle could bring!"

It was little surprise that the miniature speech equally excited the guards. Soon the small army was heading out the gates, with Raven still not saying anything and Veylod following behind. The thought that he wasn't that great of a warrior didn't really occur to him until it was mentioned.

"Do you really think you're going to be any help, or are you just coming because you're curious?" Their previously silent escort finally spoke up, voice unsurprisingly bored and uncaring.

"I don't know. I suppose because I'm curious."

"Fine. If you get yourself killed, its on you."

He snorted, not really caring whether or not he had her permission in the first place. The physical tiredness in his feet disappeared, whether it be simply because it was forgotten or because of his nervous excitement. The wonder of why he was even following in the first place, rather than heading back to his camp further out, once again crossed his mind before disappearing as they approached the destroyed building.

"Well, it sure looks like he's been here…" After a brief pause, the housecarl continued. "Spread out and look for survivors."

Raven immediately drew her swords and began moving towards a broken ramp that lead into the tower itself, with Veylod following. Stepping up the steep path, he glanced towards the sky for a moment before almost falling backwards. A panicked guard, with bright red blood dripping down his temple, had crashed into him.

"No! Stay back, he's still here somewhere! Hroki and Tor got grabbed when they tried to make a run for it…" Irileth had begun to usher him back towards the tower when a distant roar rung in Veylod's ears. "Oh gods… there he is!"

Turning back up the sky, he watched in horrified fascination as a deeply colored lizard- what he assumed was the dragon- began spraying a bout of fire down on the empty space next to them. Everyone with bows strapped on their backs immediately grabbed them and strung an arrow. Veylod withdrew a small dagger from its sheathe, watching as those who he had accompanied released a rain of arrows on the monster.

The guard who had emerged from the tower scurried back to its shelter- he was quickly followed by the practically unarmed nord, who was once again began wondering why he decided to follow the group. Growling at his helplessness, he continued to view as the dragon landed nearby and released another fiery breath onto the fighters. A loud hiss of pain drew his attention to one of the soldiers directly below, who was holding a large burn on his arm- glancing towards the distracted lizard, he grabbed a small red potion from his bag and tossed it down to him.

He didn't see if he caught it to drink it or not.

The dragon had landed atop the tower again, causing a few small chunks of rock to fall towards the pair sheltering in it as it shook. The roar seemed even louder in his ears from the close proximity, although the distance allowed him to detect what seemed to be emotion in the sound. Listening closer as it repeated the thundering roar again, Veylod was almost sure that he could detect pain in the Shout.

After a few more moments, the ground shook as the dragon once again flew off. From his view at the window, he watched as Raven sent an arrow whizzing straight into the creature's eye- followed by several more that landed across his wing. In what seemed like a split second, he landed with a mighty thump and released a blue wave that caused those nearby to fall back.

Veylod ran outside, ignoring his better instincts, and approached a figure on the ground to help them up.

"You really are looking to get killed, aren't you?" It had been Raven. Once on her feet, she shrugged and handed him one of her two blades. "Here. At least you can be helpful."

With the blade weighing down his hand, he reached back to scratch the top of his head- a side thought that his usual braid had fallen out passed through his mind- Veylod hefted it up to waist height to watch as the dragon bit of the head of one of the guards. Wincing, he moved to the side of the beast, where it couldn't reach him as well, before slashing at its wing. Irileth had taken the other side, and Raven began to fight it head on. At that point, he could see a dark maroon blood begin to seep through its scales, and its movements became less precise and more erratic.

The sight had distracted him, he realized, as the thick rope of flesh that was the dragon's tail knocked him flat back onto the ground. After what felt like a century of laying there, he started pushing himself up, sky spinning in endless circles. When he was on his feet, Veylod continued to see doubles of everything. The pounding in his head certainly wasn't helped by the death cry of the dragon- even so, he squinted his eyes to watch it collapse on the ground. The remaining members of their party approached its body, with him stumbling after.

"Looks like the overgrown lizard really is dead." Irileth's voice held a sense of relief, although the apparent expression on her face quickly changed into confusion and fear as he watched. "Everyone get back!"

Simultaneously falling backwards and turning his gaze back towards the dragon, Veylod watched as the scaled body began steaming, then dissolving into sparks, then into a cloud of what he assumed to be the beast's soul- the dragon's soul? There was a sense of familiarity about the situation, but his frantic search for whatever legend it was from subsided as the soul-cloud whooshed towards him. The aching of his temple doubled in strength as a singular word echoed in his mind- _fus. _Then there wasn't anything- simply blissful blackness.

* * *

When he woke up, Raven was standing over him, an unsurprisingly annoyed look on her face. Veylod mentally rolled his eyes- he would be far from surprised if she blamed him for the entire situation. _Dammit, Veylod, you just had to follow us, you had to mysteriously absorb a dragon soul, you just couldn't resist, could you? _For that matter, he wouldn't be surprised if she thought he had done it all to spite her. With that in mind, he almost let a small chuckle roll from his mouth when she spoke.

"You're finally awake, Dragonborn. Thought you weren't going to wake up for a moment there."

Wait. Dragonborn?

Why was she calling him that?

"Dragonborn? What…" He stumbled over his words for a moment, noticing that his headache, while subdued, hadn't quite subsided. "What do you mean?" His shaky question brought an eyeroll out of Raven.

"What do you think I mean? You absorbed that soul, moron. Not to mention the Greybeards summoned you when we were carrying you back to Dragonsreach.

"Dragonsreach?"

"Yeah. Where did you think you were, Honningbrew?"

The blatant sarcasm in her voice, for some reason or another, took him aback. "Well, no, but why would I be in the jarl's palace?"

"Did you not get that part? You're the Dragonborn, captain oblivious. Ultimate dragon slayer, savior of the world, all that jazz?" She snorted. "Although I'm unsure how any of that is supposed to happen while you're laying in bed. Care to get up?" With that, she offered a hand. A surprised Veylod reluctantly accepted the help, somewhat suspicious that she planned on letting go and laughing at him for being so gullible. Her face remained just as serious as he was pulled up onto weak legs, however, and continued to remain so as she lead him down a set of stairs and into the main hall. Jarl Balgruuf was lounging in his throne, head turned to his brother and Proventus. After a moment of the odd pair standing there, he turned towards them.

"Well? Are you feeling alright?"

"Y-yes, sir." The stutter was accompanied by wide-eyes on his part, which elicited a laugh from the Jarl.

"No need to stutter, boy." He paused, eyes flicking to Raven. "Your companion explained what happened, Dragonborn. She tell you that the Greybeards summoned you?"

"Yes, sir." He nodded as he spoke watching the Jarl stare at the ceiling thoughtfully.

"You should leave right away. It's a tremendous honor, you know. To climb the 7,000 steps… I made the pilgrimage once, you know that?" He chuckled once more at the swift shake of Veylod's head. "Of course you didn't. High Hrothgar is very disconnected, peaceful… I wonder that they even notice what goes on down here. They haven't seemed to care before." After another moment of thoughtful silence, he turned his gaze back down to them. "Well? Off with you. Wouldn't want to keep the Greybeards waiting."

Another hasty nod bobbed the nord's head as he turned to exit the keep. To his surprise, Raven followed. "We'll need to get you proper armor and weapons before we leave, of course-"

"Wait, wait. We? You're coming with me?"

"Of course I am. You couldn't fight off a saber kitten, let a lone a bear or a couple bandits. Now come on, I want to be in Riverwood before nightfall." With that extremely helpful explanation, she began dragging him down towards the Avenicci's smithie. "Light or heavy, and two handed or one handed? Or do you prefer spellwork?"

"What?"

"Light armor, or heavy- two handed weapons, one handed, or magic?" Her words were stretched out slowly, as if he was stupid- although, in that occasion, maybe he was.

"Oh. Light, and I guess one-handed."

"Shield or dual wield?"

"Shield."

"Alright. Come on, we'll go get you fitted, then grab you a bow and some arrows, and some supplies for the road…" Her voice trailed off as the reached the regularly anvil-labeled shop. "Oi, Adriana! Need some armor."

A faint voice drifted from the clanging of the forge, which soon stopped. "Oh? Already got your last worn out, or…" She stopped short, taking a quick gamble at Veylod. "Ah."

"He needs light, studded probably, a shield-" Pausing, she turned to him. "Sword, mace, or war axe?"

"Mace, I suppose."

"And that, then. Steel." The last was directed once more at who he assumed was Adriana Avenicci, the steward's daughter. A quick nod from the latter once again got them going, a short distance's walk to the Drunken Huntsman. Having never been in himself, Veylod deigned to ask what he quickly figured out was a dumb question.

"Isn't this a tavern? Like the Bannered Mare?"

"No, it's a supply shop. For hunters? Don't tell me you've never been inside." His silence was all she needed for an answer. "Oh well. I suppose we'll start you off with a long bow… good for beginners. I can enchant it later if you'd like," Her words continued, although the nord didn't really listen. He instead pushed the door open and held it as she walked through, quickly following once more as she approached who appeared to be the keeper of the shop.

After a quick interchange of words, he was being passed a quiver of arrows and a simple wooden bow, which he held onto when prompted. Raven herself quickly filled her own quiver with fancy looking elven arrows, which clashed with the golden dwemer-kind already held by it.

"Adriana should be almost done by now. I imagine all she had to do was adjust some of her previous things." They headed back out the door and across the road to the blacksmith, who did indeed seem to be done- she threw a set of studded armor at him, along with a mace and a hide shield. After passing a small sack of coin to her, Raven gestured back to the Huntsman. "Alright, go get changed. I'll go pick up some food and potions, and then we can head out."

About a half an hour later, Veylod was waiting by the main gate for the small woman to return. It took a few minutes, but she eventually arrived, with two packs filled with a variety of things. One of them she handed to him, then gestured to the gate in a dramatic manner- likely signifying that he should go first, so he did. Soon enough they had passed the stables and were on their way south, past the previous days scene, and further down the cobblestone road.


End file.
